“Every day there’d be a few more [quit],” Carthel said. “The ones who are here are the ones who take pride in working hard. We needed to change the culture and build a championship program.”

The Lions have already matched their win total from the previous two seasons entering Friday’s game against Delta State in the Lone Star Football Festival at AT&T Stadium. They opened with a 51-6 victory over Sul Ross State last week.

The three-day festival, which begins Thursday with West Texas A&M vs. Chadron State, features all seven Lone Star Conference teams and three teams from Mexico.

Carthel’s hiring was among several big changes at Texas A&M-Commerce. Athletic director Ryan Ivey is also in his first year.

Their idea to have a lion logo stretching from 25-yard line to 25-yard line on the field at Memorial Stadium shined national attention on the program a month before the opener. The lion’s head measures 50 yards by 50 yards.

“We’re waiting to hear back from the Guinness Book of World Records,” Carthel said.

“We’re doing a lot of things off the field to make our imprint and change the mindset. We’ve had a lot of buzz and exposure.”

Carthel has been going at wide receiver’s pace. His hiring was announced Jan. 22. On Feb. 6, he was doing another news conference about his signing class.

His staff had a one-week recruiting window. They hit the road, casting their net over a 150-mile radius of Commerce. They signed 37 players.

“We went to 106 schools in three days,” Carthel said. “I didn’t sleep much that week.”

Carthel sought players with strong work ethic. He wanted similar character from the returning players, weeding out those with bad grades and attitudes.

Quarterback Tyrick Rollison helped Sulphur Springs win a state title and then signed with Auburn. In 2010 he was supposed to compete for the starting job. But he was coming off a suspension and would have been going against a transfer named Cam Newton.

Rollison transferred to Sam Houston State, where he broke his wrist. He then signed with Tyler Junior College in 2011.

“He’s very talented,” Carthel said. “But life’s got a lot of ups and downs. I’ve been very impressed with how he picked himself up off the mat and dusted himself off.”

After finding his way back close to home, Rollison completed 25 of 38 passes for 346 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s victory.

Carthel’s recruiting class also came up big in the opener with eight getting on the field. Seven players scored their first touchdowns as Lions against Sul Ross State.

Although Sul Ross State is Division III, the blowout should provide confidence. Delta State promises to be a much stronger opponent, having won the Division II national title in 2000 and finishing second in 2011.

If the Lions beat the Statesmen, who knows, Carthel might even celebrate.

“This is great for the players and the school,” Carthel said. “Two years ago they played the Super Bowl in that stadium. From a team standpoint, you couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Follow Bill Nichols on Twitter at @BillNicholsDMN.

SCHEDULE

All games at AT&T Stadium

THURSDAY

7 p.m.: Chadron State vs. West Texas A&M

FRIDAY

1 p.m.: Sul Ross State vs. Eastern New Mexico

5 p.m.: Delta State vs. Texas A&M-Commerce

9 p.m.: Monterrey Tech Puebla vs. Monterrey Tech Mexico City

SATURDAY

Noon: Monterey Tech vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville

4 p.m.: Tarleton State vs. Midwestern State

8 p.m.: Colorado State-Pueblo vs. Angelo State

TICKETS

Single-day tickets: $25 for adults, $10 for students

Festival pass (all three days): $40 for adults, $15 for students

Tickets available by calling 800-745-3000 or by visiting ticketmaster.com or AT&T Stadium ticket windows.

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